Bibimbap

byKookyCulinaryonNovember 13, 2009

Now that the weather is getting colder, I find that I have been craving for Korean food a lot especially the dolsot bibimbap (mixed rice in a stone pot) and soon-do-bu (spicy tofu soup). I guess the hot and spicy just hits the right spot on these cold winter nights. Since it is very expensive to eat out at a Korean restaurant, I decided to recreate some of the dishes at home starting with bibimbap.

Bibimbap is literally translated as mixed rice. It is a bowl or stone pot of rice topped with various seasoned vegetables and gochujang (spicy pepper paste). Beef and a fried egg are also commonly added. The ingredients are then thorougly mixed together just before eating. I also like the fact that I can add as much vegetable or as little vegetable as I like. For this bibimbap, I added lettuce, carrots, cucumber, beef & onion, fried egg and gochujang. I love dolsot bibimbap which is bibimbap served in a hot stone pot because it gives a bottom crispy layer. Unfortunately I don’t have a dolsot, so I served it in my claypot which I have to say works pretty well. It did help to create a crispy bottom layer.

My cousin’s wife Nari Kye (a producer for Tony Bourdain’s No Reservations on the Travel Channel) has a new mini-show called NyamNyam Tv. Her first episode explains how to make kimchi, and it’s super cute!